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2 Apr 2015

Morrissey @ Barclaycard Arena (live review)

You'd think that after the emotional turmoil of seeing Morrissey the first time, the second time would be better. Alas, no. Considering how certain I was that the O2 would be my only time to ever see this mythical creature live, you can imagine how ecstatic I was when he announced this tour. Tickets for the last date of the 7-date UK tour in the bag and the waiting game began, until finally, the 27th March rolled around. Morrissey fans will never fail to amaze me with their dedication, I mean people were in the queue from 10.45pm THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. People actually slept outside the arena. We got there at 8am thinking we were early and we were still 40th in the queue. 10 hours passed and the doors opened. Thousands of fans of all ages poured into the area all sprinting to the front to grab as closer place as possible to Moz, and the final stretch of waiting started.

Support came from social activist singer songwriter, Buffy Sainte-Marie. I had never heard anything by her, but I was genuinely impressed with her set, which was not only fantastic musically, but the lyrics and her passion for equality and protecting the earth were truly empowering. I was even more impressed when I learnt that she was 74. I feel privileged to have experienced her set and would recommend her live show to anyone. As soon as she exited the stage, the pre-show video began. A collection of clips including famous artists like The New York Dolls and Siouxsie Sioux and in true Morrissey fashion many political statements including, of course, Ding Dong the Witch is Dead. Then the curtain fell, the drums began and the lights dimmed.

"THE QUEEN IS DEAD BOYS, AND IT'S SO LONELY ON A LIMB" echoed through the Barclaycard Arena as the explosive opener caused just as much excitement, chaos and emotion as it did back in November. Morrissey looked healthy and (dare I say) happy as he tore through a set full of World Peace songs, but with the classics mixed in. A few surprises came in the form of his cover of Frankie Vali's To Give (Is The Reason I Live), a phenomenal version of my favourite Smiths song, Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before. One of the most magical moments of the whole gig had to be the Irish Blood, English Heart snippet in the middle of Speedway. The arena went black and the crowd fell silent as the words, "I've been dreaming of a time when..." came from the almost invisible figure who stood centre stage. This of course caused the crowd to erupt into song to the point that Morrissey himself didn't sing, he let the crowd carry on alone. Safe to say every member of the audience got goosebumps. The main set came to a close with a duo of Smiths song, with Meat is Murder accompanied by that ever-so-horrible video being followed by What She Said.

The final song of the night, and of the tour, was the tear-jerking Everyday Is Like Sunday. In true tradition, I sobbed again as I saw friends getting their handshakes and acknowledgement from their hero that they tried so hard to achieve. As expected, the night was utterly flawless and if this does turn out to be my last ever Morrissey gig then I will not be disappointed, how could I be?

I wish him well in his recovery and hope that his health keeps improving and once again,Thank you, Morrissey.20/20

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Vapour Trail is an online music platform set up in 2014, run by Cal Cashin (@calcashin_). We like loud guitars, great characters, and beautiful music. Direct all questions to @vapourtrailblog or vapourtrailblog@gmail.com